Marimekko CorporationPress release

INTERNATIONAL MARIMEKKO DESIGNATHON INVITES CREATORS TO CHALLENGE THE TRADITIONAL CONVENTIONS OF THE TEXTILE CLOTHING INDUSTRY WITH THE HELP OF VR AND AR TECHNOLOGIES –THE COMPETITION IS NOW OPEN FOR SIGN-UPS

Marimekko Corporation, Press release, 9 August 2017 at 10:00 a.m.

Marimekko’s theme for the 100th anniversary of Finland’s independence focuses on bold patterns and doing things together open-mindedly. In collaboration with Slush, Europe’s leading event for technology and start-ups, and Junction, the largest hackathon in Europe, we are organising an international competition, Marimekko Designathon, where we invite 50 younger generation creators to challenge the traditional conventions of the textile and clothing industry.

Marimekko Designathon will combine design and technology in order to find new innovative solutions with the help of virtual and augmented reality technologies. The international hackathon will be held at Marimekko’s headquarters in Helsinki, Finland over the weekend from 15 to 17 September 2017, in conjunction with the Helsinki Design Week.

The competition is open for sign-ups at designathon.marimekko.com until 31 August 2017.

On Sunday 17 September 2017, the competition jury will select the top 3–5 ideas from approximately 10 entries. The winners will have the opportunity to present their ideas to an audience of investors and start-ups at Slush 2017, 30 November – 1 December.

The members of the jury:

• Caterina Fake, American entrepreneur, angel investor and board member, also known for being the co-founder of Flickr and Hunch, and Chairman of Etsy.com

• Kari Korkman, Helsinki Design Week founder and director, and president of the World Design Weeks network

• Tiina Alahuhta-Kasko, Marimekko’s president and CEO – chairman of the jury

A pattern to symbolise the collaboration

Maija Louekari, one of Marimekko's most prominent younger generation print designers, has created a pattern entitled Hyvä myrsky (good storm) to symbolise the Marimekko Designathon competition. The pattern was inspired by brainstorms where bold ideas and people meet and new beginnings are born. In the pattern, multi-interpretative storm clouds and lightning strikes form a good storm that freshens the surrounding world and so enables something new to emerge. A photo of the Hyvä myrsky pattern is available at http://mediabank.marimekko.fi/l/mWqKSMb-JLq6.

Further details about Marimekko’s projects and events related to the centenary are available, inter alia, at www.marimekko.com.

Marimekko is a Finnish design company renowned for its original prints and colours. The company’s product portfolio includes high-quality clothing, bags and accessories as well as home décor items ranging from textiles to tableware. When Marimekko was founded in 1951, its unparalleled printed fabrics gave it a strong and unique identity. Marimekko products are sold in about 40 countries. In 2016, brand sales of the products worldwide amounted to EUR 199 million and the company's net sales were close to EUR 100 million. Roughly 160 Marimekko stores serve customers around the globe. The key markets are Northern Europe, North America and the Asia-Pacific region. The Group employs about 400 people. The company’s share is quoted on Nasdaq Helsinki Ltd. www.marimekko.com